Chapter 3

Emily's POV:

"Emily? Em? Hello? Are you there?"

David’s voice kept scraping through the speaker, but the anger that had been keeping me upright completely melted away.

If he was this obsessed with keeping a ghost alive, he was never going to let me leave. I was a prisoner in a cage, destined to be locked up forever just because of the shape of my face.

"Emily, talk to me!" David panicked.

"David.” I whispered, my voice trembling, all my earlier confidence entirely gone. "I need to get out of here, I need to find a way out right now."

"Calm down, Em, just listen to me.” David said, his tone shifting into that fast-talking pitch he used when he was trying to sell me on a bad idea. "I have a plan. An idea that can save both of us and get you out of there alive."

"What idea?" I asked, gripping the edge of the mattress.

"Think about it. Right now, he wants you because you look like Sophie, right? So why don't you play along and make him fall for you so hard that he lets his guard down. Let him spend millions on you then once he trusts you enough to let you move around freely, we take the cash and run."

I froze. "Run where?"

"To an entirely different continent," David urged, getting excited. "We can go to South Africa, or Morocco. Anywhere! We change our names, start a life altogether. With that kind of money, we can put our lives back together, start a business, and afford a great life for our future kids. It's the perfect way out, Em."

Silence stretched over the line as I sat there completely stunned by the audacity of the man I had married.

He had gambled away our savings. He had signed my name to a multi-million-dollar contract. And his grand solution was for me to play mind games with a dangerous psychopath, steal his money, and hand it over to David so he could have a great life on a beach in Africa.

"Emily? What do you think?"

"You are unbelievable." I breathed, tears of pure fury burning my eyes. "You put me in this hellhole yet you want me to make another lifetime of sacrifices for you to just squander it again?"

"Em, I'm trying to save you…"

"I will figure out a way out of this by myself," I snapped. "Do not call me again."

I slammed the end button, my chest heaving. 

Without wasting a single second, I called Clara again. The moment she answered, I let it all out in a breathless torrent. "He wanted me to steal from him, Clara! Can you believe the nerve of that trash panda?!" I raged, waiting for her to join in on my fury.

Instead, Clara stayed quiet for a moment before clearing her throat. "Okay... don't hate me, Em. But contrary to what you think... I actually think David has a good idea."

"What?!" I gasped.

"Hear me out!" Clara said quickly. "Obviously, do not steal money and run away with that deadbeat husband of yours. But the making-Ethan-fall-for-you part? Why not? If you play your cards right, he’ll marry you, and boom, you're a billionaire’s wife."

I rubbed my forehead, wondering if the entire world had gone mad. "Clara, are you listening to yourself?"

"I have absolutely zero interest in being with a psychopathic man who is obsessed with a ghost.” I told her, my voice dead serious. "I don't want anything to do with Ethan, and I sure as hell don't want David, I just want my life back."

Clara sighed, her tone softening. "Okay, okay. Look, just sit down tonight and rest your head, okay? Don't overthink it right now. We'll talk 

tomorrow."

“Knock! Knock!” I jumped slightly. The heavy oak door pushed open, and a young woman in a neat grey uniform stepped inside, bowing her head slightly.

"Good evening, miss.” she said softly. "I am Hilda, the maid assigned to take care. I wanted to let you know that all your essentials are stocked in the bathroom and the wardrobe. You can have your bath whenever you are ready."

"Thank you.” I murmured, keeping my guard 

up.

"Mr. Langford had no interest in dinner tonight.” She added. "But if you would like something to eat, please let me know and I will have the kitchen prepare it."

"No, I'm not interested in eating anything. You can leave me." She bowed again and slipped out, closing the door quietly while I struggled to fall asleep.

Between the contract, and the revelation about Sophie, my brain refused to shut down so sleep didn't find me until the early hours of the morning.

"Miss Emily? Excuse me, Miss Emily." A gentle shake woke me up and I blinked against the morning light, seeing the same maid from last night standing by the bed.

"I am so sorry to wake you.” She said apologetically. "But Mr. Langford goes out very early. You need to have your bath and come down for breakfast immediately."

I groaned internally, looking around the palatial bedroom. I had no leverage, no money, and no escape route. I couldn't afford to rebel over breakfast. "Fine. Give me ten minutes."

After a quick bath, I dressed in one of the high-end, perfectly tailored blouses from the wardrobe and walked down the grand staircase into the dining room.

Ethan was already seated at the head of a long mahogany table, reading a tablet, a spread of pastries, fruits, and eggs laid out before him. 

He didn't look up when I sat down and picked up a fork. I desperately wanted to demand answers about Sophie but I didn't know how to begin, instead I asked. "How long do I have to stay here to clear David's debt?"

Slowly, Ethan set his tablet face down on the table. He picked up his linen napkin, wiped his fingers, and turned to face me. "I don't eat while talking.” He said coldly and I bit my lip, forcing myself to look down at my plate. 

Halfway through the meal, the buzz of his phone shattered the tension. He glanced at the screen, and his jaw tightened, then he stood up, leaving his food half-eaten.

Before I could even blink, he was gone so I let out a breath I didn't realize I’d been holding, dropping my fork as I turned to Hilda, who was waiting quietly in the corner of the room. "I'm done eating."

“Yes, miss." She replied, signaling to a group of other maids who immediately entered to clear the table while she stepped closer to me with a smile. "Would you like to do anything for the day? I can give you a tour around the estate grounds, or if you'd like to watch a movie, I can take you up to the cinema upstairs?"

She was reeling off options, trying to keep her master's captive entertained, but before I could mutter a response, the loud chime of the front doorbell rang through the mansion.

"Did Ethan forget something?"

"I will check, miss." Hilda said, quickly rushing off toward the door while the other staff members finished clearing the plates.

Curious, I walked out of the dining room and stood near the edge of the living room. Through the wide entryway, I watched the maid open the massive front doors. The moment she saw who it was, she bowed her head deeply. "Good morning, madam."

A woman stepped across the threshold, a towering, stone-faced bodyguard flanking her side and I froze. Thanks to my G****e spiral last night, that face was seared into my brain.

It was Victoria Langford. Ethan’s mother.

My heart did a violent flip in my chest. What was the matriarch of the Langford empire doing here?

As she walked into the main hall, her sharp eyes scanned the room, instantly locking onto me and I swallowed hard, stepping forward. I forced myself to bow my head slightly, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "Good morning. Mr. Ethan... he isn't around right now."

Victoria stopped, surveying me from head to toe like I was a specimen under a microscope. "I know." She said. "I am not here for my son. I came here for you."

I stood there, completely stunned, my breath catching in my throat as Victoria tilted her head toward the grand sitting area. "Come. Let us sit down in the living room.”

“I know about the contract between you and my son. I also know you’re in debt. A lot of it.” She tilted her head. “$22.5 million, if I’m correct?”

I couldn’t breathe. “I… uh.”

“I’m here to make you an offer.” She leaned forward, cutting me off.

“If you can get pregnant for my son and give me a grandchild.” She began. “I will pay off your $22.5 million debt then I’ll give you an additional $5 million to start your life over. In another country. Far away from Ethan. And the child.”